I have been writing for Forbes since 2005. Prior to that I covered the business beat for the New York Daily News. Because I've studied both finance and journalism, and because I like both numbers & analysis and sports, what's a more fun job than merging the two, writing about sports from the business side and from the stat geek/number crunching side? I have a BS in business from Boston College and a masters in business journalism from New York University.

The slam dunk wisdom in NFL circles after Super Bowl XLVII: Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco has to get paid. He just has to. And by “paid” we mean paid like the league’s best quarterback, or something very close (I mean, of course he’s paid something).

The question is why. Flacco’s 87.7 passer rating placed him 12th in the NFL in 2012, in line with his career rating of 86.3 over five years. That’s solid-but-not-great territory. Looking ahead, it’s quite possible he’ll be surpassed by some of the league’s rising young guns like Cam Newton, Matthew Stafford and Andrew Luck. So why would Flacco, a free agent, command a contract in line with Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers, whose numbers he doesn’t touch?

Answer: the almost trance-inducing power of that greatest of American sporting events, the Super Bowl.

Win a ring, you are great. Win the game’s MVP award to boot, and you are an icon. Never mind that Trent Dilfer (2000 Ravens) has a Super Bowl ring, while Dan Marino doesn’t. Or that a career body of work is a far more valuable predictor than a big game on the big stage. The all-consuming power of the game messes with brain cells.

NFL clubs have fallen into the trap before. Tampa Bay safety Dexter Jackson won the Super Bowl MVP award in 2003 thanks to a pair of interceptions in his team’s win over the Raiders. He got $14 million as a free agent with the Arizona, where he had one solid season before being released with an injury the following year. Jackson returned to Tampa Bay for two years before finishing with Cincinnati, never becoming an All-Pro.

In 2005, it was Patriots’ receiver Deion Branch capturing Super Bowl MVP honors with 11 catches against the Philadelphia Eagles. He later held out and forced a trade to Seattle, where he got a six-year, $39 million extension. Branch, who returned to New England in 2010, has been an average player ever since.

And remember when Cowboys’ cornerback Larry Brown had two interceptions thrown right into his lap by Steelers’ quarterback Neil O’Donnell in the 1996 Super Bowl? Brown, a very ordinary player, was named the game’s MVP and quickly signed a five-year, $12.5 million deal (big money for a defensive back at the time) with the Raiders. He lasted two years in Oakland, playing a total of 12 games. O’Donnell, for his part, rode his run to the Super Bowl to a five-year, $25 million contract with the Jets, where he lasted two nondescript seasons.

Those strong Dallas clubs of 1990s also showcased the other expensive phenomenon sometimes stirred up by the Super Bowl – the hot assistant coach. Cowboys’ defensive coordinator Dave Wannstedt (in 1993) and offensive coordinator Norv Turner (in 1994) both left Jimmy Johnson’s staff for head coaching jobs in Chicago and Washington, respectively. Both own losing records as NFL head coaches.

Historically,the Super Bowl MVP has been won by the great (Joe Montana, John Elway, Jerry Rice, Marcus Allen) and the not-so-great (Mark Rypien, Doug Williams, Santonio Holmes).

Flacco, right in his prime at 28, fits somewhere in between. He’s a good quarterback. But what if a Denver Broncos defensive back doesn’t slip and fall in the final 30 seconds of a divisional playoff game? The Ravens and Flacco, 10-6 during the season, become distant memories three weeks before the Super Bowl. No trophy, no parade, no Disney World, no Letterman appearance. And no agent flapping his gums about making him the NFL’s highest paid player.

And yet, he may just get it. When it comes to the Super Bowl – to paraphrase Dana Carvey in Wayne’s World – some people are helpless against its powers.

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Reducing his success to what ifs is stupid…what IF Brady did not a great clutch kicker in veniterri? What if Santonio Holmes does not make an amazing catch against the Cardinals in the Super Bowl. What if Lee Evans does not drop a go ahead TD pass in last years AFC Championship, what if Cundiff does not miss a chip shot for a game tieing field goal. There are no excuses in outcomes of competition. Mistakes are often what seperates good teams…what if the Ravens special teams does not allow TWO td’s? guess what ? Joe out plays Joe in a lopsided victory. Its a poor counter argument to use what ifs.

In order for Cam Newton, Matt Stafford and Andrew Luck to surpass Joe Flacco, Cam Newton would have to have a winning season, and Andrew Luck and Matt Stafford would have to win a division or at least a playoff game. The point of football is not to run for the most yards or have the highest rating. The point is to win games and win championships and Flacco has proven he can help the Ravens do that. Pay the man.

Flacco is not Aaron Rodgers and doesn’t have the potential of RG3. However, already younger than and as good as, if not better than, Eli Manning, yet Eli is treated like a star, paid like a star, and will likely be paid big in his next contract.

Flacco finished the postseason having completed 73-of-126 (57.9 percent) passes for 1,140 yards with 11 touchdowns and zero interceptions, tying Montana and Kurt Warner for the most touchdowns in a single postseason and additionally tying Montana for the most touchdowns without an interception in a single postseason. Flacco’s 117.2 passer rating tied him for third place all-time with Steve Young in a Super Bowl-winning postseason.

His post-season play in general the last 3 seasons has been exemplary and improving with every season.